Planet Claire
January 27, 2021
Hosted by Cheryl Espinosa-Jones
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Can we ever understand the place a spouse holds in our lives? Often, that understanding comes only after the sudden and terrible loss of that person. Jeff Porter's wife, as it turned out, was the planet around which his life, in some ways, orbited. Her sudden death threw him into outer space, careening into memories, unmoored and trying to make sense of the un-sensible. His attempt to grapple with how his life would go forward without its center point led him to unexpected reaches of his own inner self. In an ongoing conversation with the brilliant, loving and solid person his wife had been, he must come face to face with what he did, didn't do and could never change about their relationship. Still in love with her, he kept the conversation going by writing Planet Claire, a memoir about his loss and the power of their life together.
Good Grief with Cheryl Espinosa Jones
Wednesday at 2 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
On Good Grief we explore the losses that define our lives. Each week, we talk
with people who have transformed themselves through the profound act of
grieving. Why settle for surviving? Say yes to the many experiences that embody
loss! Grief can teach you where your strengths are, and ignite your courage. It
can heighten your awareness of what is important to you and help you let go of
what is not.
On Good Grief, we are inspired by people who have made something miraculous
out of their deepest heartaches! We listen as they share how they have walked
through their own exquisite pain and what they have gained as a result. We
come away ready to follow our own dreams to a deeper, more meaningful time
on this beautiful earth! Listen for Good Grief, broadcast live every Wednesday at
2 PM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel.
Cheryl Espinosa-Jones
Cheryl Jones is a grief counselor. During her education as a Marriage and Family
Therapist, her first wife was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which was at the
time a uniformly terminal illness with a six month to one year prognosis. In the
eight years that followed, Cheryl engaged daily in the work of preparing for her
death. She received training during this period from Stephen and Ondrea Levine
(Who Dies and Grieving Into Life and Death) and Richard Olney (founder of Self-Acceptance Training). After her wife’s death, Cheryl immersed herself in her own multifaceted grief, surprised by frequent moments of joy.
Cheryl is a consultant and group leader at the Free Therapy Program of the Women’s Cancer Resource Center. She has trained extensively with Erving Polster, leader in the field of gestalt therapy and author of Everybody’s Life is
worth a Novel. She was Clinical Director at the Alternative Family Project, which served the therapeutic needs of LGBTQ families in San Francisco. She also wrote a column called Motherlines for the San Francisco Bay Times and ran Considering Parenthood groups for the LGBT community.
Before becoming a therapist, Cheryl enjoyed careers as a musician, a restaurant owner and a carpenter. She still enjoys singing with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, eating food in outstanding Bay Area locations and remodeling her Craftsman. She lives with her wife in Oakland, California and especially savors
time with her family and friends.
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